Al-Jumma in the Kingdom

Welcome to my travel blog documenting my time here in the Middle East! Today is Friday, so we have the day off. The week begins on Sunday here; with Friday and Saturday being the weekend-- Jordan is a Muslim country and the Islamic 'Sunday' is Friday. It will be difficult getting used to going to school on Sundays from now on!

Everything is going very well so far. Thank God orientation is over. It was helpful in some aspects, but in general it is nice to be done and living with my family. During the days of orientation we were pretty much just in the hotel and at the university listening to power point presentations and not really getting to see much of the city. But, I arrived at my host family's place last night and I love it here already. The mother, Ghada, is very kind and helpful. She has a daughter and two sons- Najwan (28, Nimer (21), and Tareq (14). I am sharing a room with Najwan and I really like her so far. It is also good because everyone speaks excellent English, but they said once I begin learning more Arabic they will speak it more to me so I can practice. Right now it is a bit useless because I don't know that much; not to mention I know even less of the Jordanian dialect. Their home is about 30 minutes by bus from the University and it is kind of old, but nice and cozy nonetheless. The rooms are huge and very spacious-- waaaay bigger than my home in the US. They even have wifi and said I may use it so that is also great. The only issue is the smoking. Smoking is a national sport in Jordan and this family must be gold medal winners, haha. They really only smoke in the sitting room, so it's not that bad, but it is difficult to get used to. I've been here only one night and my chest already hurts a little. I could probably switch homes, but I like this family a lot so far and feel comfortable here, so I don't want to risk going somewhere that is crappy. I like the kids and can see becoming friends with them. Plus, I will learn to put up with the smoke because you just can't escape it here. I never thought I'd miss the smoking ban in the States. Maybe all of you can start collecting money for the lung transplant I will need when I return. I also lucked out because the family is not Muslim. Granted, it would have been very interesting to live with a Muslim family, but I don't know if I could handle it. They tend to be very very strict, especially with female students-- even to the point of not allowing them to wear shorts in the house to bed.

Last night was a lot of fun. I got here and was able to relax for awhile, then Ghada's sister Samiyah came over and took us to the home of a family friend. Once we were there, their children and grandchildren came over and soon the house was full of children and people. It sucks because I know so little Arabic, but everyone was very kind and made an effort to talk to me. I was nervous and kind of quiet, but I think they understand. From what I can see at this point, the family dynamic here is very interesting and I like it at a lot. At the same time, I can see how it may become very overwhelming and too confining at times. Jordanian families are very close and spend a lot of time together; and huge gatherings like last night are commonplace. It is not like in the US where families only get together on holidays. I really like this emphasis on closeness and family because they are the most important people. Friends can disappear in an instant and place their loyalty elsewhere, but family will always be there. There is a trade-off though. As Najwan told me last night, sometimes she just wants to go live alone in a small place and get away from everyone for awhile. However, living alone here and being unattached is looked down upon and is socially unacceptable, so many people don't do it. Children typically live at home until they are married, so it is not unusual for people in their early and late 20s to be living at home.

The people here are great so far. Very welcoming and helpful. I like the Jordanian spirit a lot and think they are generally very good people.

As I said before, the week begins on Sunday, so that means I will start class in 2 days. We will only be having colloquial Jordanian Arabic for now until Feb. 10, when other classes and Modern Standard Arabic begins. I love the University of Jordan so far. The campus is very big and beautiful with lovely landscaping. There are many trees, bushes, plants, flowers, etc. and lots of nice sitting areas. The buildings are also nice- especially the language center, where I will be spending all of my time. It's the newest building and was built with a large grant from the Japanese government. It's the pride of the University and important figures and dignitaries who are visiting the University are always given a tour of the center. I think I will be very happy studying there... and fortunately, there is a womens' gym nearby that I plan on joining to work off the 200 pounds I've already gained in the last 4 days.

I will also say some words about the political climate since many of you are concerned for my safety. Really, Jordan is safe because of it's excellent intelligence and secret police force, but it is in a bad location. The situation in Gaza is really fueling a lot of anger here because of the amount of Palestinian refugees here in Amman. There have been many protests and riots, but I don't have to worry if I stay away from them. There was also a bombing in Beirut this morning, but really, when isn't there a bombing in Beirut?! This is not to say that bad things don't or won't happen here, but it is not as likely as elsewhere. Honestly, the biggest safety issue here is cars; or rather, getting hit by one. 10 Jordanians die each week from accidents and getting hit by cars. I thought people drove insanely in Russia... the drivers are on crack here. I have a greater chance of getting ran over than of getting my body blown apart by an IED on the commute to school. The second risk is earthquakes, though they usually only have small tremors. Jordan is conveniently (sarcasm) located between the Asian and African plates, so it is in a fragile position. There will be "the big one" someday, so lets hope it's not during the next 5 months. Really, I feel safe here as long as I behave smartly; i.e. not breaking curfew, dressing appropriately and not going places alone if I can help it (especially at night).

Well, I suppose that is about it for now-- below are a few pictures. Keep reading, as I will update this as often as possible. I miss and love you all!